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64. Dream House as the First Thanksgiving
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in In the Dream House, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Queer Visibility
Christianity and Shame
Abuse, Trauma, and Healing
Storytelling, Responsibility, and Freedom
Summary
Analysis
Machado feels unwell all the time. She gets nauseous with any motion, develops a tremor, and cries all the time. The doctor tells her she needs to lose weight. Machado doesn’t realize that the weight she needs to lose is actually the woman from the Dream House.
Machado’s sickness illustrates how psychological and verbal abuse can have acute physical effects. The doctor’s comment also acts as a reminder that Machado is often treated with less respect or taken less seriously because she’s fat.
Themes
